Colau and Urtasun renew the lists of Frente Amplio in Catalonia: Aina Vidal and Pisarello are left out

As of October 22, 2026, there is no ordinary parliamentary reform of Law 12/2023, of May 24, on the right to housing, progressing in the Cortes. The specific proposal to amend it was rejected; other pending initiatives expired with the parliamentary dissolution on October 6. The relevant procedure now is the control of two new housing royal decrees by the Permanent Deputation of the Congress.

The specific amendment proposal was rejected

The Bill to amend Law 12/2023, presented by the Plurinational Parliamentary Group SUMAR on January 15, 2026, was admitted for processing by the Board on January 27. It later reached the debate on consideration: the vote in which Congress decides whether to start processing a legislative proposal.

The Plenary rejected it on September 15, 2026, and the procedure concluded on September 21. Therefore, it did not proceed to committee, did not open a subsequent amendment phase, and did not reach the Senate. It is not simply stalled: its parliamentary course ended. The initiative in Congress can be consulted.

The proposal on land and housing is also no longer open

There was also another route: the Bill on administrative and procedural measures for legal certainty in territorial and urban planning, the promotion of urban development and housing, promoted by the Popular Group. It included partial amendments and repeals of the Housing Law, as well as urban and procedural changes.

Congress agreed to start its processing on April 21, 2026, as stated in the official communication from Congress. That did not mean the law was approved. Since its processing was not completed before the dissolution of the Cortes, it expired on October 6. To resume those changes, a new initiative will need to be promoted in the next legislature.

The current procedure: two new royal decrees

The above must be distinguished from urgent legislation. The housing royal decrees approved on September 29 were rejected by Congress on October 2. The Government then approved two other texts on October 6, published in the BOE on the 7th:

• Royal Decree-Law 28/2026, on urgent measures to strengthen the stability of rental contracts for primary residences. It acts on the Urban Leases Law, so it should not be confused with an ordinary reform of Law 12/2023. Text in the BOE.
• Royal Decree-Law 29/2026, on protection of the social function of housing and expansion of affordable housing supply. It includes measures related to tenant protection, affordable supply, and vulnerability situations. Text in the BOE.

With the Cortes dissolved, it is up to the Permanent Deputation to decide their validation or repeal: to maintain them or leave them without effect. The consulted sources do not indicate that this decision has been made; the information from October 20 in Demócrata still placed that vote as pending.

What it means in practice

The answer is, therefore, ordinary reform concluded or expired; royal decrees pending parliamentary control. The motion approved on September 10 that called for repealing the Housing Law did not repeal it either: it was a political request to the Government, not a legal modification, as can be distinguished in the Congress communication.

The Minister of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs, and Agenda 2030 has the political and administrative leadership of the department responsible for social rights, consumer affairs, gambling regulation, animal protection, and the promotion of Agenda 2030. It is important to distinguish the ministry's competencies from the powers of its bodies: not all decisions correspond personally to the minister.

Legal framework and scope

The distribution of matters is specified in Royal Decree 209/2024, of February 27, which develops the basic organic structure of the department. Its Article 1 assigns the ministry the "proposal and execution of the Government's policy" in the areas listed below. This regulation develops the organization established after the 2023 ministerial restructuring and modifies Royal Decree 1009/2023. It can be consulted in the BOE of its publication.

Material competencies

• Social rights and social welfare. Promote state policies on social cohesion, social services, and the fight against poverty and exclusion. Includes actions related to the Roma people, cooperation with the Third Sector of Social Action, and the promotion of volunteering.
• Dependency and the elderly. Lead the state's participation in the System for Autonomy and Care for Dependency, according to Law 39/2006. IMSERSO is attached to the department through the State Secretariat for Social Rights.
• Disability. Promote equal opportunities, non-discrimination, and universal accessibility; promote state plans and maintain dialogue with representative organizations of people with disabilities and their families.
• Families and family diversity. Promote their protection and develop policies to prevent situations of need, within state competencies and without displacing the powers of other bodies.
• Animal protection. Promote policies to protect the rights and welfare of animals, especially companion animals, and encourage responsible coexistence. Includes administrative cooperation, normative proposals, and state actions of information and planning.
• Consumer affairs and food. Propose and execute policies to protect consumers, especially vulnerable ones, and promote their information and training. Includes policies on healthy and sustainable food and food safety, coordinated with other departments.
• Gambling. Lead gambling regulation policies and promote safe and responsible participation, with attention to public health and vulnerable people, in coordination with Health.
• Agenda 2030. Promote, monitor, and encourage cooperation to implement Agenda 2030 and meet the Sustainable Development Goals, coordinating actions with other ministries and administrations.

How these competencies are exercised

The minister exercises the highest authority, but execution is distributed among the State Secretariat for Social Rights, the General Secretariat for Consumer Affairs and Gambling, the Undersecretariat, and the Directorate General for Agenda 2030, directly attached to the minister. The basic structure is also set out in Royal Decree 1009/2023, with subsequent modifications.

This distinction has practical consequences: Royal Decree 209/2024 expressly assigns the General Secretariat for Consumer Affairs and Gambling certain sanctioning resolutions in consumer affairs. Therefore, a department's competence should not be automatically identified with a personal decision of the minister.

Competency limits

These functions are exercised within the competencies reserved for the State, respecting those of the autonomous communities, local entities, and other ministries. In social services, dependency, disability, and animal protection, territorial cooperation is essential. Likewise, promoting Agenda 2030 does not imply assuming the sectoral competencies of other departments: it corresponds to promoting its implementation and coordination.

Before leading Frente Amplio, Ada Colau built her trajectory from housing activism to the mayoralty of Barcelona, which she held between 2015 and 2023. Simultaneously, she participated in the creation and leadership of the commons space and maintained political ties with En Comú Podem and Sumar. Her institutional experience was concentrated at the municipal level: she had not been a deputy in Congress nor a minister.

From social activism to the PAH

Her public projection began before entering institutions. She worked at the Observatori DESC, dedicated to defending economic, social, and cultural rights, and in 2009 participated in founding the Platform for People Affected by Mortgages. The Barcelona City Council records both backgrounds in its institutional profile.

As spokesperson for the PAH until May 2014, she gained notoriety for denouncing evictions and defending the right to housing. This stage linked her to social movements and mobilization of people affected by the mortgage crisis, before assuming electoral responsibilities (biographical profile).

The municipal leap: Guanyem and Barcelona en Comú

In 2014 she promoted Guanyem Barcelona, a platform seeking to bring together activists, neighborhood representatives, independents, and political organizations to run in the municipal elections. The project later adopted the name Barcelona en Comú, whose candidacy she led in May 2015 (electoral trajectory).

The list was the most voted, although it did not obtain an absolute majority. Colau achieved investiture and on June 13, 2015, became the first female mayor of Barcelona. That result marked her transition from activism to managing a large municipal administration (electoral profile).

Eight years leading the City Council

During her first term, from 2015 to 2019, her government prioritized housing, social services, regulation of tourist accommodations, and sustainable mobility. Her municipal agenda also included reclaiming space for pedestrians and measures against inequality (biography and management).

In 2019 she renewed the mayoralty after the municipal elections and an investiture agreement with the PSC. The second term, until 2023, included the municipal response to the pandemic and the continuation of her housing and urban transformation policies. It was also accompanied by controversies over security, tourism, mobility, and city management (trajectory assessment).

The commons and state alliances

Since 2015 she was a reference for En Comú Podem, without holding a seat in Congress. In 2017 she participated in creating Catalunya en Comú and later held coordination responsibilities. Her own organizational space remained Barcelona en Comú and the commons; her relationship with Podemos and later Sumar was articulated through alliances and confluences (organizational trajectory).

Municipal exit and state candidacy

In the 2023 municipal elections, Barcelona en Comú came third and Jaume Collboni became mayor. Colau initially remained as a councilor in opposition and resigned her seat on October 25, 2024 (exit from City Council).

Her electoral return was concretized on October 12, 2026, when Movimiento Sumar, IU, Más Madrid, and Comuns agreed to propose her as a candidate for the Presidency of the Government. Thus, she reached state leadership with experience in activism, coalition building, and eight years of municipal government (Demócrata, October 12).